Skin lesions resulting from use of personal protective equipment in the context of COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.
J Wound Care
; 31(Sup12): S22-S28, 2022 Dec 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2155824
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
During the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, to prevent the transmission of the virus, the use of personal protection products and equipment were recommended by international and national organisations. The need to use it more frequently and for a long time can damage the skin of health professionals. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with skin lesions in health professionals resulting from the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).METHOD:
This was a cross-sectional exploratory study through an online questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire collected socio-labour characterisation data and the second part related to exposure factors. The variables were analysed according to the prevalence and the odds ratio (OR), within a 95% confidence interval (CI).RESULTS:
Of the 398 participants who met the inclusion criteria, 65.3% were self-diagnosed with skin lesions 37.3% with pressure injury, 25.8% with contact/allergic dermatitis and 2.7% with acne. Regarding the use of PPE, of the 240 professionals who reported using an N95 mask, 80.4% developed injuries, 70.4% of which related to a work regime of >6 hours per day (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.79-2.42).CONCLUSION:
The results of this study showed a significant prevalence of skin lesions in health professionals. Among exposure factors, the N95 mask and goggles stand out. Longer or more frequent exposure time to personal protective products and equipment proved to be important factors to be considered.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Wound Care
Journal subject:
Nursing
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Jowc.2022.31.Sup12.S22
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